Jogo daora pra caralho, o conceito até hoje é muito foda. Colocar rappers pra se meter a porrada ao som de raps é legal de mais, e os caras mandaram muito bem fazendo isso funcionar. As arenas são ótimas, sendo todas com rings, e mesmo que os gráficos não sejam grande coisa eles ainda tem o seu charme próprio, mas o que se destaca mesmo é o combate. Vários movimentos pra fazer, combos com chutes e murros e principalmente, os especiais. Cada personagem tem o seu e as animações são muito bem feitas, algumas fazendo até referência ao próprio personagem que a usa. Por mais que as vezes a dificuldade fosse quebrada de mais, é tudo questão de pegar a manha do jogo, depois isso, é só diversão. Recomendo totalmente.

If you have nostalgia for this game, as I did, lock it away in your heart and cherish it forever. Don't taint it by revisiting with 2023 eyes.

Playing through this today, it felt like all the negatives of the classic AKI games, with all the positives sanded away. The speed of the game is cranked up, which is fine, but all the balance seems to have flown out the window as a result.

The punishing ease with which AI can reverse you, a facet of many AKI games, is even worse here. It's magnified by the lack of a real 'momentum' system; which sort of defines the classic N64 games. Building your meter just brings you closer to your finisher but doesn't actually change the momentum of the match.

Coupled with limited movesets, and a super underwhelming player character for the story - and this is one I won't be keen to revisit again. Fight For New York forever!!!!

A cult classic that is better in concept than execution. While Def Jam Vendetta is dripping in style, it's lacking in gameplay modes and the different match types you'd expect to see in a wrestling game. The famed AKI wrestling engine also starts to show its age here and movement feels sluggish.

The story mode is serviceable enough, but it doesn't let you play as any of the musicians, which is the main draw of the game. There's also a ridiculously unfair 3-on-1 match the player is expected to win to advance at one point.

Overall, this is still a really interesting collaboration to look back on, but as a wrestling game, it's nothing special. Check out the sequel instead, which is a better realization of the concept.

This is a fun over-the-top version of AKI's legendary wrestling engine with a bunch of playable rap artists in it. Some of the mat impact sounds from when a big move is landed is some of the most satisfying shit I've heard in a game.

What really fucks Def Jam Vendetta in the long run though compared to its spiritual predecessors or really any other wrestling game at the time is its severe lack of match types and create-a-wrestler. Hell, there isn't even weapons in this game despite the fact they're used at least twice in cutscenes in the story mode. Granted at least one of those times was a fucking glock, but hey it still counts.

It's still very fun playing an AKI wrestler at a much faster game speed with crazier moves, but even back then the lack of CAW just really bummed me out especially when other EA Big games were letting you create your own players. No cage matches too just doesn't make any sense to me in this setting, thankfully Fight for NY brought them back in some form despite it leaning more towards general street fighting. The story mode is also short and the game expects you to play through multiple times to unlock everything, which is pretty obvious padding. So yeah, I don't think the game will hold your interest terribly long. Pretty much a perfect rental back in the day.

I will give massive props to this game in that it helped me expand my music tastes a bit. It might surprise you but I was one of those "rap is crap" kids growing up and listened to nothing but metal and hard rock, so playing games like this was basically my gateway into other music genres.

If you're a certain breed of hopeless wrestling nerd (like me), you probably already know that this game was supposed to be WCW Mayhem 2, the AKI Engine follow-up to WCW/NWO Revenge. Well, WCW was already in dire straits by that time, and by some strange twist of fate (no Hardy Boys pun intended) we ended up with a wrestling video game where Funkmaster Flex can powerbomb Method Man instead. But is it any good? Well...sort of.

Featuring half-a-dozen rappers you've heard of and a dozen more that you probably haven't, DJV is in the top echelon of bizarre video game crossovers. No explanation is given as to why well-established musical artists like Ghostface, DMX, and Ludacris would moonlight as indie wrestlers at seedy nightclubs, so it's probably best to accept it and move on without thinking too much about it, because the developers clearly didn't.

Even looking past its premise, Def Jam Vendetta is a deeply strange game on every level. The fact that it uses the famed AKI engine shared by beloved wrestling games like WCW/NWO Revenge and WWF No Mercy means that it's highly playable - and in my opinion, significantly more enjoyable than the actual WWE games of this era - but the fact remains that this is a wrestling game with zero actual wrestlers in it, which makes you wonder who exactly this game is for.

The game's story mode is actually pretty engaging for the era, but it has a few encounters that are just blatantly unfair and unfun, especially the handicap match against Pockets, Snowman, and House at the after hours club. Once you're done with the story - which, let it be said, has some incredibly misogynistic cat-fights and outright softcore porn which are a true testament to how far the industry has come in 20 years - there's really not a lot to Def Jam Vendetta. There are a few bonus characters and stages you can unlock by beating the game with the other heroes, but it's not exactly a fresh experience.

The biggest issue with Def Jam Vendetta isn't the fact that it stars rappers cosplaying as wrestlers, it's the simple truth that it lacks many of the modes and extra content you expect from a wrestling game of this era. There are no exciting match types like tables, ladders, or cage matches, and no create-a-wrestler mode. It's worth noting that even though I played dozens of hours of this game as a kid, I never actually bought it until I was an adult - I just rented it from Blockbuster and played it at friend's houses.

Let's not mince words: the main issues with DJV are alleviated by its sequel, Fight for New York. Unfortunately for AKI fans, though FFNY is a much better game than DJV, it's also not really a wrestling game, either. As such, DJV is a strange experiment that didn't really succeed, but it didn't exactly fail, either. It's simply a fun game to revisit every now and then - especially if you're an AKI fan like me.

Def Jam Vendetta is a wild brawler that combines over-the-top hip-hop personalities with surprisingly strategic wrestling gameplay. Its story mode provides a gritty, dramatic backdrop to the action, while the roster of recognizable Def Jam rappers brings unique fighting styles to the ring. Though its visuals show their age, the grappling system remains satisfying, offering a depth that rewards practiced combos and well-timed reversals. Def Jam Vendetta is a raucous and nostalgic gem for fans of wrestling and hip-hop culture.

Cheat mode
Select battle mode and choose any type of match. Enter a User ID at the "User Setups" menu. At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly enter one of the following codes to unlock the corresponding person:

Arii
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press X, Square, Triangle, Circle, Square.

Briggs (alternate costume)
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press X, Triangle, Circle, Square, Circle.

Briggs (alternate costume)
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press X, Triangle, Square, X, Circle.

Carla
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press X, Square, X(3).

Chukklez
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Square(2), Triangle, X, Circle.

Cruz
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Circle, Triangle, X(2), Circle.

D-Mob
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Square, Triangle, Circle, X, Circle.

D-Mob (alternate costume)

At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Square(2), Triangle, Square(2).

Dan G
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press X, Circle, X, Circle, Square.

Deebo
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Circle(2), X(2), Triangle. Alternately, successfully complete story mode with all four default characters.

Deja
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Circle, Square, Circle(2), X.

DMX
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Circle, X, Circle, Triangle, Square.

Drake
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Triangle, Square, Circle, X(2).

Drake (alternate costume)
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press X, Triangle(2), Circle(2).

Funkmaster Flex
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Circle, Triangle, Circle(2), Square. Alternately, select one of the four default characters in story mode and defeat D-Mob.

Headache
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Triangle(3), Square, Circle.

House

At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Triangle, X, Triangle, Circle, X.

Iceberg
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Square, Triangle, Circle, Square, Circle.

Ludacris
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Circle(3), Square, Triangle.

Manny (alternate costume)
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Circle, Square, Circle, Square, Circle.

Masa
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press X, Circle, Triangle, Square(2).

Method Man
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Square, Circle, X, Triangle, Circle.

Moses
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Triangle(2), Square(2), X.

N.O.R.E.
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Circle, Square, Triangle, X, Circle.

Nyne
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Square, Circle, X(2), Triangle.

Omar

At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Circle(2), Square, Triangle(2). Alternately, successfully complete story mode with two default characters.

Opal
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Circle(2), Square(2), Triangle.

Peewee
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press X(2), Square, Triangle, Square.

Peewee (alternate costume)
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press X, Triangle(2), Square, Circle.

Penny
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press X(3), Triangle, Circle.

Pockets
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Triangle, Square, Circle, Square, X.

Proof (alternate costume)
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press X, Square, Triangle, Square, Circle.

Razor
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Triangle, Square, Triangle, Circle, X.

Razor (alternate costume)
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Square, Circle, X, Triangle(2). Alternately, select one of the four default characters in story mode. Defeat Sketch and Chukklez in a tag team match.

Redman

At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Circle(2), Triangle, Square, X.

Ruffneck
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press X, Square, X, Triangle, Circle.

Ruffneck (alternate costume)
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Square, Circle, Triangle, X, Square. Alternately, select one of the four default characters in story mode. Defeat Ruffneck and Arii a tag team match.

Scarface
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Circle, Square, X, Triangle, Square.

Sketch
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Triangle(2), Circle, Square, X.

Snowman
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Triangle(2), X(2), Circle.

Spider (alternate costume)
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Square, Triangle, X, Square, Circle.

Steel
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press X, Triangle, Circle(2), Triangle.

T'ai
At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Circle(2), Square, X, Circle.

Zaheer

At the character selection screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and quickly press Triangle(2), Square, X(2).